Playing the Fool
by rozoe9
Summary: Wally knew he was annoying, but that was his job, wasn't it? He was the comic relief guy when things got too serious. But he was still a respected member of the Justice League, right? When Wally overreacts and quits the League, the team has to convince Wally to come back. Lots of Wally angst and emotionally awkward Batman. It's better than it sounds. First fanfic, be gentle.
1. Pity the Fool

**A/N: Hey so this is my first story here, so my apologies if it's bad. I wanted to write something having to do with the episode "Flash and Substance" where Orion remarks to Flash, "You play the fool to hide a warrior's pain." I want to show Flash's thoughts when he does "play the fool" and gets treated like a kid by the rest of the League. I also might use the other League member's POV depending on how I go about this. This takes place before Justice League Unlimited, so still only seven league members. I hope you guys-well anyone who actually reads this-like this.**

It was bound to happen eventually. As easygoing as Wally was, he was only human, though the League sometimes forgot that, not that it was their fault seeing how nothing ever seemed to bother Wally. He was always there, always smiling and happy. He always had a joke to lighten the mood. It was his unofficial job, and despite what John would say, Wally took his job very seriously.

After a particularly rough mission, he would crack a joke to ease the tensions when things would get too serious, and sometimes he'd succeed. His efforts would be rewarded with exasperated laughs and amused smiles. Wally would swear on his life that Batman's glare would soften marginally. No one would say it, but he knows they appreciated his stupid corny jokes and dumb smiles, and it would be worth it. He would be an idiot for them, because for the first time he felt like he found a place where he fit-where everything clicked: this is what he was supposed to do. Being apart of their group made the crazy, excruciatingly _slow_ world he was stuck in make sense.

Other times-well most of the time if he was honest-, his attempts were met with scorn and reprimand. Diana and Shayera would look at him with pitying glances, while Bats glared-well his ever-present glare would intensify by 9000 and fry his soul-and Superman lectured him about appropriate battle etiquette. "Flash, people's lives are at stake! This is no joke. You should blah blaaah blaaaah, blaaah. Blaaah blaah blah? blaaaaaah…..". Wally stopped listening by that point. Superman's lectures were dreadfully boooring. It was like he dragged each sentence out for as long as he possibly could. Ugh! It was torture! During this all, J'onn wouldn't look at him, still not exactly comfortable with public displays of human disciplinary actions. John would stay silent like the perfect soldier he was then talk to him later like nothing ever happened, not that Wally didn't appreciate the effort, because he did. He would like to forget he made a bigger fool out of himself than usual and Superman publically parented him in from their enemies. Big hit to the self-esteem there.

It was okay though. At least Bats usually kept quiet, because when Wally irritated Bats to the point where Bats yelled at him, well, those the days where Wally ran went home and ate all the ice cream in Central City, because man, Bats would rip him a new one. Bats-no Batman-, he always used his this-is-serious-I'm-Batman! voice when he reviled Wally to the point of tears-would cut in, his tone monotone but somehow seething at the same time, and straight out tell him he was unwanted. And of course Batman went into a detailed account of why. Bats-no, Batman-never liked Wally-probably even hated him, but Wally would never admit it. Wally always admired and looked up to Batman to the point where he even harbored a very very very small crush on him, which made every criticism and glare hurt a thousand times worse. The days where Batman would get mad at him reminded Wally just how unnecessary his place on the team was.

But it's fine. He was okay. Wally's a speedster. He didn't hold grudges. Besides they didn't mean it. He was a respected member of the Justice League. They were just tired and frustrated, and Wally had poor timing. Everything's fine. He would just have to try harder. he was determined to do his special job, because that was the only reason he was on this team wasn't it? He was the tension easer, the comic release, the _clown_. Superman was the leader; Batman was the the man with a plan/ninja _because he's BATMAN!_ ; John was the soldier, always following the orders to a T and making sure the job gets done; J'onn was the telepath; Diana was the super badass warrior; and Shayera was the kickass with a mace and a bad temper, plus she had _wings_! All Wally could do was run fast, and Superman could do that too! The sole reason he was on this team was because he was funny sometimes all the time. That kinda hurt.

* * *

Everything was not fine. He thought he was their equal-a fellow teammate, a hero of his own right-, but apparently he was sorely mistaken. They wouldn't even let him talk during the League meeting! Why the hell was he on this team if he was treated like some annoying petulant child? He was an adult for Pete's sake! Do they honestly think he doesn't take being the Flash seriously? Uncle Barry was the Flash, and by wearing that costume, Wally was honoring his uncle's memory. He may crack jokes frequently, but that's how he focuses. The Flash was his life. So why were all of his suggestions dismissed? Sure he was the youngest member being only 28 years old, but he was experienced. He had been in the hero business since he was 11 years old, out of all of the League members, he was one of the most experienced. And yeah, not all of Wally's suggestions were helpful, but he wasn't an idiot. He was a forensic scientist of the CCPD. Sure, he was a bit of a klutz, and sometimes he had no idea what his teammates were saying, but he had earned his right to be on this team. He saved the world side-by-side with them. He had protected Central City from supervillains all by himself for 11 years. He deserved their respect.

He pretended he didn't know about their special meetings that he wasn't invited to. He pretended not to overhear Superman talking to Diana about how he wished Flash would act more mature and responsible. He pretended he wasn't upset, and Wally was good at pretending.

He still smiled and laughed, but they felt fake, like a cheap plastic replica riddled with design flaws. If the others noticed, they didn't comment. Wally didn't know whether to feel disappointed or relieved.

It worked for a while, though when the treatment continued-the derogatory comments that chip away his self-esteem little by little-, his facade cracked. The worst part was that Wally knew they didn't mean it. They were good people-good friends-that he cared deeply for. They cared for him as well, he was sure, it was just they didn't respect him, which was his fault entirely. He chose to play the fool, it's only fair that he suffer the ramifications. In the face of all pain, Wally chose to laugh, which had helped him immensely in overcoming the grief of his beloved uncle's death, but now it had become a sinking weight, dragging him down to humiliation and shame, both of which he thought he escaped when he graduated high school. Point is, Wally was at the end of his rope here, each critique ebbing his self-confidence and self-control.

* * *

Wally was already having a bad day before he got to the Watchtower. He got home late last night after dealing with a botched robbery attempt by the Rogues and hauling them off to jail, he was late for work-which was shocking to him, because Wally made sure to always be on time, unlike his late (pun unintended) Uncle Barry who was late to everything-, he and Linda were having problems-which not telling your girlfriend where you go and how you get all these injuries will cause-, he spilled coffee all over his boss, and was in desperate need of food because his crazy metabolism would not be sated by a bowl of Froot Loops and a protein bar. Little food plus 4 hours of sleep is a bad combination for a speedster. Understandably, Wally wasn't in the best of moods.

By the time he got to the Watchtower, he was exhausted-both physically and emotionally-and in no mood to sit through another one of Superman's boring lectures. And boy was it booooring. It seemed like Superman was dragging each sentence on purposefully, repeating the same idea over and over. It's no surprise Wally zoned out and started drifting off. Superman's voice was like white noise enticing him to shut his eyes, which Wally unwillingly complied. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor and everyone was staring at him. ' _Shit_.'

Superman and Bats looked pissed-well Bats more than usual-, while the others looked disappointed. Wally's face went red. ' _Way to prove you're not a child!'_ he thought sourly. But because he's Wally, he gave a sheepish smile and prepared to laugh away his embarrassment.

"Sorry guys," Wally rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed laugh. "I-"

"Flash," Superman's voice cut through, tired and annoyed, his hand dragging down his face in an exhausted manner. He looked straight at Wally, his eyes pleading and voice softening slightly, trying to convey his thoughts more nicely. "This is serious. What we do is serious. It affects the world and the people of it. This isn't a joke. Take it seriously."

What? Wally went stockstill. Did they think that he wasn't serious about being the Flash? That this wasn't important to him? Superman couldn't have meant that. Why would Superman say that? What even-no. He shouldn't be surprised. They think he's some slacker manchild. No. Flash could _never_ take anything seriously in his life could he? Wally thought they were his friends, that maybe he was wrong and they had at least some respect for him, for what he did. But no. Wally picked himself off the floor. He tried to school his features, but he was too shocked. He looked up at Superman, his eyes wide and voice shaky.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep, honest." Despite being a full grown man, Wally's voice was quiet and soft, sounding more like a scared child after a nightmare than a superhero. He gave a sad chuckle. He sounded so pathetic! "It won't happen again though. I promise. And trust me it won't be so hard to keep, because I get it. I got the message. I'll go."

Everyone had some varying degree of shock on their faces, even Batman looked surprised-well as surprised as a Batman can look. They were accustomed to Wally always being in some varying degree of happiness. To see someone always smiling, someone who always has a joke to give to cheer someone else up, speak in such a self-deprecating way was shocking to say the least.

"Go? What?! NO! Where would you even-" Superman fumbled. He had the nerve to actually look like he felt bad, his face equally shocked and confused by the 180 flip in attitude Flash displayed.

"You don't have to deny it Superman. It's okay. This...this was a long time coming wasn't it? Everything is so slow to me that it feels like this was a billion years old-something already dealt with and forgotten. I kinda forgot that it was probably a few hours ago. I'm-I'm annoying, right? I get on your nerves. I think I'm helping when I'm just messing everything up." Wally didn't particularly want to spill his guts here in front of everyone, but he needed them to understand. They didn't have to suffer being in his presence anymore. He was leaving willingly before they could kick him out. "This is what's best for the League."

And with that, Wally ran out of the room down to the teleporters and beamed himself home in a flash (pun obviously intended), like the coward he was. He heard a few of the others call out for him to wait, but he couldn't face them anymore. They were probably just trying to be polite before he left. Or maybe they wanted his League membership card back. Probably the second one. He may not be a League member anymore, but he was the Flash and the Flash had a duty to protect Central City. He would be fine. He didn't need the Justice League. He'd be fine by himself-just like the old days.


	2. Of Running and Bats

**A/N: Hey guys! First off thanks for all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys rock! Seriously reading your reviews-actually just reading the email I got saying I had reviews-made me smile and produce some strangled sort of bird sound that I did not know I could physically make with my vocal cords. So thank you all! Seriously, reviews let me know people are actually reading this, so I'm more motivated to update faster. Anyway here's some more Wally angst and my attempt at Batman's POV. Without further adieu, here's chapter two-heh, rhyme. I hope you like it!**

As soon as his soles touched Earth, Wally was off like a shot. To everyone else, he was a blur-a faint flash of red and a gust of air for half a second then nothing. This made sense to Wally: feet pushing against the concrete, muscles tensing and extending, wind mercilessly slapping his exposed chin and cheeks, arms pumping, heart racing, adrenaline clouding any and all thoughts. The only things that mattered were his feet. _Leftright Leftright._ He didn't focus on a particular destination, speeding straight out of Central City, across various border lines and bodies of water. He didn't care where he was going, he just wanted to run.

Forget them. Forget everything and just focus on this. On the ground, the wind, the speed. Speed. That's what mattered. Speed. Speed was always there, and he stuck to what he knew was real. His feet slapping against the ever spinning earth, that's real. No League, no pity, no scorn. Just speed. Just the rate of movement of matter. He ran faster, passing the forests of the northeast, crossing the Atlantic.

After a while, he started to lose focus, his mind wandering to undesired topics. Maybe he was wrong. His pace slowed. What if he was _wrong_? They honestly seemed shocked and called him back. Maybe he jumped the gun. He might've misread the situation and made everything worse!

But then again maybe they acted out of pity. They _pitied_ him. They _pitied_ how Wally knew they didn't want him on the team. Well, They could keep their pity. He made his decision and he was sticking to it no matter what. The League was better off without him anyway. He was just getting in the way. They didn't need Wally; they didn't need a clown. They had to be serious and face serious threats every day. Wally was an unnecessary addition-a hindrance-to the team. They probably were glad Wally left. It saved them the trouble of kicking him out themselves. They prob-no. Stop. What was he doing? Less thinking and more running. Let the pounding of his feet drown out any thoughts. Run. Go faster. He needed to go faster, to test his limits and go beyond them. To leave his thoughts behind.

He didn't think. He just moved. And it burned, every muscle in his body overexerting to comply to his demand. _Fasterfasterfaster_. Faster to make his brain stop thinking. He rounded the red sea, heading towards Africa. Picking up his pace slightly, Wally broke the sound barrier with a loud pop-pop-pop. Any thoughts he had were like bugs on a windshield, scattered and fragmented across his mind to be erased later.

Why was he running again? He didn't care. It felt so _good_. This was what he was meant to do. He was meant to run, to embrace speed and become it. He was free, liberated from whatever he was running from. A burden lifted from his mind. No matter what happened next, he could do it. He could get through it by himself, because despite what the rest of his team thought, Wally was strong. He was a fighter-a survivor.

He turned around, heading back towards the United States. His will steeled. He would do this. We'd prove them wrong. Then maybe they'd respect him-treat him like an equal.

* * *

He reached Central City in minutes after crossing the Atlantic Ocean, patrolling the city for any crime while he was on his impromptu run. Speeding down the streets, he waved to the people, greeting each and every member of the community like an old friend. He loved Central City. It was his home. He knew almost every citizen and if he didn't know someone, he made it his business to get to know them. They motivated him to be the Flash; they were his biggest supporters and fans. They were why he was the Flash, why he risked his life nearly everyday for this city.

The people of Central City were always kind and respectful. They didn't care that he kept his identity a secret. All that mattered to them was that he protected them from supervillains without anything in return. Wally gave them hope and they gave Wally their undying support. The people of Central City even formed many committees and groups to help out the Flash, for instance, they were currently trying to raise funding to create a lane on the roads specifically for the Flash so he could travel the roads without the danger of getting hit by a car, which sadly has happened quite a few times.

Wally loved this city, which is why he was more active in the community as the Flash than other heroes. He attended charity fundraisers, offering autographs or meet-and-greets as prizes, he visited schools and hospitals, and he always made sure to swing by the Central City Orphanage as often as he could.

Now that he had quit the League, he had more time to devote to his city. It was fine. He ignored the bittersweet pain that came along with that thought and sped towards his apartment. He'd deal with the consequences tomorrow. For now everything was just fine.

* * *

Batman was not one to be surprised. He could usually predict the possible outcomes of a situation and plan accordingly. The one thing he could never plan for was the Flash-aka Wally West. He was unpredictable. Batman would expect one thing and Flash would do the opposite. He was never consistent, which bothered Batman to say the least; it was extremely difficult to predict inconsistency.

However, Batman never had a problem with Flash per say. When focused, Flash was a valued asset to the team, and despite Clark's insistence, Flash was faster by far and had much more field experience. Batman had worked with Flash a few times when he was still Barry Allen's sidekick. He knew how determined and dedicated Wally was as the Flash. He took his job very seriously, however when he was unfocused, Flash could be a liability. He could be immature and reckless, which got him or others injured. Batman usually didn't involve himself in Clark's attempts to discipline Wally's behavior, but when other people got hurt due to Flash's impulsiveness, he felt the need to step in, which proved more effective than Clark's lectures since Flash would stand stock still with wide eyes at Batman's interjection. Though he had the tendency to go a little overboard to the point where he could see tears in Flash's eyes.

Batman understood that Flash was a speedster. His biology was different, making it extremely difficult for Flash to remain focused on something for an extended period of time. Clark, despite being an alien, seemed to forget this.

To a speedster, food is very important, since they burn through calories faster than a normal human and therefore requiring more calories more frequently. When the Flash hadn't eaten in a while, he would get very tired almost to the point of passing out. It was critical that he eat the right amount of food, which Flash did, though he ate in superspeed, which grossed everyone but Shayera out.

He understood why the Flash would zone out, why he would eat quickly and messily, even why he craved acceptance. What he didn't understand was what the speedster was hiding, and he was hiding something, Batman was sure. Maybe it wasn't something he consciously kept from the team, but it was something he held back.

Batman was very observant, choosing to watch and listen instead of talk most of the time. He knew Wally was very open about most things, telling anyone who would listen about his day, the weather, even the color of his apartment walls. He also knew Wally was extremely intelligent, having excelled in science fields, especially chemistry, since he was ten, however he acted dumb for some reason.

For reasons unknown to Batman, Flash would play himself down, pretending to be less intelligent and telling stupid jokes at inappropriate times, in front of the other League members-himself included. It was perplexing. What would Flash have to gain by acting dumb? Then again the Flash never really thinks about himself, always putting others in front himself. So the better question would be: how would others benefit from Flash acting like a fool? To answer that he would need all the variables, like who was the Flash trying to help? and how would playing dumb help? Batman would figure this out, but first he had to focus on what Gorilla Grodd was planning.

* * *

Clark's meeting was pointless. Batman didn't understand the purpose of these team briefings. Clark just went over everything they already knew-well at least everything Batman already knew. He would listen regardless, he didn't want to hear Clark bitch later about how no one was listening to his important briefing when he had more important things to do. The only reason Clark held these meetings were probably to have some sort of team bonding session. Batman looked around the room. It seemed the only one who shared his sentiment was Flash, everyone else avidly paying attention to Clark drone on about the League's role in politics. Flash looked like he was desperately trying not to fall asleep, his head snapping up every few minutes then slowly drifting down to his arms and his body sliding down his chair a little more each time. It was amusing to say the least, well until Flash finally succumbed to sleep and fell right out of his chair onto the floor.

Silence filled the conference room as everyone stared at Flash-well, Batman glared. Now they were going to suffer Clark's complaining. This was all so pointless. He had better things to do than sit through another one of Clark's lectures.

Flash stood up, obviously embarrassed, but trying to laugh it off to save face. "Sorry guys, I-"

Clark cut him off, tired of hearing the same old excuses and probably hurt by the evidence that his lectures were that dull. "Flash, this is serious. What we do is serious. It affects the people and the world of it. This isn't a joke. Take it seriously."

Clark was overreacting. It's not like anything he was saying was actually of importance. The only reason he's pissed is because Flash fell asleep and interrupted his briefing. Then again Flash usually pays attention-or at least tries to. For him to fall asleep would mean that either: a) Clark was being more repetitive and banal than usual, b) the speedster hadn't eaten, c) the speedster hadn't slept enough previously, or d) a combination of both b) and c), which would be cause for concern if Flash was passing out. If he was that exhausted during battle and fell unconscious, people could get hurt. He kept note of the possible reasons for further investigation later

A hurt look passed over Flash's face. For a second he looked...upset, which is odd seeing how the only emotions the Flash ever expressed in the company of the League were either some form of happiness, or was gone in an instant replaced by a defeated smile, another expression never seen by a League member before. For some reason, this expression troubled Batman, the sad smile looking foreign and...wrong on the usually happy speedster.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep, honest." Batman narrowed his eyes at Flash's self-deprecating tone. Something else was going on, and he didn't like it.

Flash gave a sad chuckle. "It won't happen again though. I promise. And trust me it won't be so hard to keep, because I get it. I got the message. I'll go."

Batman was surprised. He was rarely ever surprised. Flash seemed to always do the thing he least expected. Though out of all the League members, Flash was the most underestimated. Batman was probably the only one who recognized that even though Flash was laid back and friendly, he could destroy them all in less than a second. Flash probably even underestimated himself. Then again, this could all be the result of their underestimation coupled with the negative reactions to Flash's behavior. The constant disapproval could've manifested to the point where Flash developed low self-esteem and felt himself an inadequate member of the League.

"Go? What?! NO! Where would you even-" Clark tried to fix the situation, but it was pointless. Flash made up his mind. They'd have to accept his decision, for now at least.

"You don't have to deny it Superman. It's okay. This...this was a long time coming wasn't it? Everything is so slow to me that it feels like this was a billion years old-something already dealt with and forgotten. I kinda forgot that it was probably a few hours ago. I'm-I'm annoying, right? I get on your nerves. I think I'm helping when I'm just messing everything up. This is what's best for the League." And with that Flash ran out of the room and left the Watchtower.

John and Shayera went after him, begging him to stop, but Flash was already gone. Clark looked horrified at himself, while Diana looked confused. J'onn had a guilty expression. He was the telepath he'd probably seen heard some of this from Flash's mind, but thought nothing of it. Batman got up calmly and walked to the control center, going back to what he was doing before. Call him blase, but Batman knew it would be a while before they tracked Flash down and tried to convince him to come back. It'd probably take even longer for Flash to believe them. So Batman would rather not waste time tracking Flash down.

In all honesty, Batman was impressed Flash had the guts to pull something like that in front of his peers. It's not easy admitting you're not important to a group of respected friends. For the mean time, Batman got to work, researching all possible locations Grodd could be hiding. He was going to have to deal with the rest of the League and Flash later, but right now, Batman had a job to do.


	3. Hug it Out

**A/N: Hey guys! So just a few things before you read. First, thanks to everyone who reviewed, Favorited, followed,-hell-or even took the time to read this story. You guys are great! Thank you. Second, I'm gonna use these time stamps from now on so you guys-and me-can get a feel for the time frame. Both parts of this chapter happen simultaneously, so keep that in mind. So far all the events that happened in this story have occurred over one day. I'll let you know what the time is relative to each chapter. For example, this chapter occurs about two hours later from chapter one-yeah I know it's slow, but it will go faster as we go along here. Third thing is to a Guest who commented. I honestly didn't plan on using Superman's POV-mostly because I have an irrational hatred of him for absolutely no reason-, but since you asked, I will use his POV next chapter just for you. Last thing, just wanted to let everyone know that I finally surpassed 3,000 words for this chapter. Yay me! With all that said, enjoy chapter three!**

* * *

 **Watchtower 5 PM:**

Shayera wanted to punch someone. After he quit, Flash disappeared. He wasn't in Central City and could be anywhere by now. In top of that, no one seemed to have any clue why her close friend would do such a thing. She thought Flash loved being on the Justice League-they all did-judging from how much Flash talked about it all the time. He genuinely seemed to like her and the others and being apart of this team, so why would he quit? More importantly, why did he think the League was better off without him? He was an important member of this team! To make matters worse, instead of searching for him like she wanted to, Shayera was called to Metropolis because a group of supervillains were terrorizing Star Labs. Just great. Well at least she'd be able to let off some steam.

Using the teleporters, she and the rest of the League beamed to Metropolis, the villains already attempting to make a break for it with their bounty. Looks like it was usual suspects Killer Frost, Clayface, Shade, Giganta, Sinestro, and Gorilla Grodd plus some guy in a grey suit with wings and a flamethrower, which usually wouldn't be to bad. The League would have the element of surprise and experience facing these particular villains before, however, they were down a member, which would prove to be trickier, seeing as how now they were outnumbered. Shayera grit her teeth, the reminder of her absent comrade fueling her anger. She didn't know what to do about Flash, but for now she'd take out her frustrations on these guys.

She charged without warning, targeting Grodd, but being intercepting by a blast from Sinestro, sending her flying into the concrete. She picked herself off the ground, flexing her wings to make sure there wasn't any damage. So that's how he wanted to play? He wanted a piece of her? Bring it on! Shayera charged again, raising her mace and screaming loud. Sinestro created a yellow projection of a giant axe, but this time she was ready. As he struck she flew under his arm getting within striking distance, and slammed her mace into his jaw knocking him out of the air and into a telephone pole. She swung again before he had the chance to get back up, sending him onto the pavement hard, leaving a spiderweb of cracks beneath him. She flew down over him, pinning him to the ground with her foot, her mace raised menacingly.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you," her voice was low and dangerous, which surprised Sinestro, though not enough to deter him, seeing how the familiar yellow glow quickly encompassed his body. Before she could brace herself, Sinestro blasted her off of him with a blast of yellow energy.

"Ugh!" Damn that Korugarian! Sinestro knocked the wind out of her, causing her to fall and knock into Wonder Woman who was busy fighting Giganta. Both heroes picked themselves off the ground and returned to their battles without a glance at each other. Alright, enough screwing around. Time to end this.

Sinestro looked down at her with a stupid smug smirk on his stupid purple face, constructing yellow projections in the form of angry snarling beasts-she didn't know what type of creature they were and didn't have time to contemplate the species mid-battle. Shayera was so done with this. Sinestro' s beasts attacked, charging her with their fangs and claws extended. Shayera raised her mace and met the yellow projections head on, colliding the head of her weapon with one of the creatures' snouts. However this left her right flank open, which Sinestro's creatures took advantage of, pouncing and pinning her to the ground causing her to drop her mace. They viciously attacked her exposed torso, their claws and teeth ravaging her wings and side.

"Aaaarrgghh!" She screamed in agony as they tore into her flesh, feathers ripping out of her wings painfully, forcing her to blindly reach for her mace and smash it down onto the beasts. The force exerted into her swing was enough to distance the monsters away from her, standing up to focus her attention back on Sinestro, who transformed the monstrosities into dual swords. Blood dripping down her ripped costume, she squared her shoulders prepared to fight. Sinestro brandished both swords vaingloriously, basking in the glory of injuring the hero.

Shayera was done with this shit. She threw her mace while Sinestro was playing with his swords, which clearly surprised the villain, not expecting such a brash and reckless move. He blocked it with ease using his yellow constructs, however he lost sight of the winged hero for just a moment which was all Shayera needed. While he focused on the mace thrown in his direction, his focus shifted away from Shayera, allowing her to quickly fly up and kick him where it hurt. Sinestro was out for the count. She flew back down to the ground walking over to her fallen weapon, Sinestro on the ground behind her, writhing in pain. She kicked him again, Sinestro falling unconscious. With a satisfied huff, she turned to observe the state of the battle.

John was fighting Killer Frost and currently had the upper hand, shielding himself with green projections whenever she attempted to blast him with ice. He didn't need any help. J'onn was busy with Clayface, both locked in a malleable battle where each opponent tried to outmaneuver one another, twisting their bodies into impossible shapes and sizes. Shayera would be of no help there. Batman was fighting both Shade and the flamethrower man. Though he seemed to be holding his own, Shayera could help even the odds.

Batman, currently fending off Shade while dodging blasts of fire, glanced at Shayera as she flew over. He moved slightly, allowing her to join the battle, and diverted his attention to the Shade. Looks like she was handling the pyromaniac with wings. She flew up to his height, taking away his advantage and keeping the battle in the air. His wings were actually a jetpack. Go figure.

"Awww. The little birdie wants to play? Didn't they ever tell you not to play with fire? You might get BURNED!" Great, he's one of _those_ bad guys. At least Sinestro was quiet, choosing to fight rather than make lame jokes and weak threats. The creep laughed maniacally, shooting fire out of his flamethrower haphazardly. And he has terrible aim. This is going to end badly.

Shayera dodged the flames, tucking her still injured wings against her back and rolling to the left. She extended her wings, gliding within striking distance, too close for the pyromaniac to use his flamethrower. He ditched the gun with a curse and pulled out a fire sword. Of course the fire themed villain had a fire sword. She raised her mace, electricity crackling as she blocked the villain's sword strike for strike. Lightning clashed with fire, plasma on plasma, their weapons were equally powerful, however the villain was lacking in skill, leaving several opportunities to strike. She parried his attacks easily, waiting for a clear opening-aaaand there it was. Kicking up her knee, she nailed him in the chest, knocking the wind right out of his lungs causing his arms to drop to his sides. Without missing a beat, she bludgeoned the villain with her mace hard, making him crash into a nearby building and drop to ground, landing on his jetpack and smashing it into pieces.

"You think you've won?! You can't extinguish my flames! Metropolis will BURN! I will not be-" Shayera punched him in the face, cutting off his rant mid sentence. Villains really needed to stop monologuing in the middle of a fight.

She surveyed the rest of the battle. Batman had taken down Shade easily once Firefly-as Batman informed her later-was distracted, Clayface was incapacitated, and Killer Frost was stuck in a green construct. John had rounded up the fallen villains in green binds, leaving only Grodd and Giganta left.

Wonder Woman was currently was locked in a fist fight with Giganta, though it was difficult to see who had the upper hand. Superman was fighting Grodd, the latter using some sort of ray- most likely stolen from Star Labs-that seemed to hurt the Kryptonian. Grodd fired quickly, trying to overwhelm the hero, however Superman was too quick, dodging the blasts and ripping the weapon from the ape's hands. Though it seemed the villain had a trick up his sleeve, using his mind powers to cripple the alien and make his escape.

Shayera was done watching and flew after him, however, Grodd had an escape jet, effectively escaping and leaving his evil allies behind. Great. Just great. ' _Flash would've stopped him.'_ The thought stopped Shayera in her tracks. Flash isn't here anymore….but she'd change that. She was determined. She brushed any other thoughts not focused on the task at hand for later brooding.

Giganta watched as Grodd left, a hurt expression on her face, which was enough of a distraction for Wonder Woman to sucker punch her into unconsciousness. All villains were defeated except for Grodd.

Shayera walked over to the others to discuss their next move. Honestly, Shayera didn't care about Grodd. She wanted to find her friend and sort out this whole mess. If Flash was here, things would've gone better.

"What's the plan, Superman?" Shayera wanted to get out of here as soon as she could. She was injured, blood still oozing from her wounds, though now she could see that they weren't that bad-though deep, there was no internal damage and could be treated and healed fairly quickly. The others didn't look much better, Batman having several lacerations on his torso and arms and parts of John's costume still frozen in some Woman was sporting a bloody nose and a few abrasions on her legs, probably from being grabbed and thrown like a rag doll by Giganta. Even Superman looked a little winded.

They've seen better battles.

"Head back to the Watchtower to treat any injuries and we'll coordinate a search effort from there." With a nod of acknowledgement, they all beamed back up to the watchtower, Shayera heading straight to the infirmary. Batman would probably insist he's fine until Superman or Wonder Woman drags him to get treated, but that wasn't her problem. She got the gauze and bandages out of one of the cabinet drawers.

"John, could you give me a hand?" As much as her pride wouldn't allow her to receive help, she needed it, her injuries being pretty deep and painful and ranged from her side to her right wing. John walked over picking up the gauze and gently started to inspect her wounds, his fingers ghosting over her skin.

If it was anyone else, she'd yell at them for treating her like she was delicate. She was a tough warrior of her own right and should be treated as such. But John was different. He treated her with respect-like a fellow soldier in arms-but at the same time there was something more. She knew there was with the way they both skittered around one another. He was different than her other friends. He was special to her.

John lightly moved his fingers over one of the deeper slashes over her ribs. She hissed in pain, glaring at him momentarily before he moved his hand.

"That one's pretty deep. Might need stitches." He hummed thoughtfully almost to himself.

"Than do it and quit screwing around." growled Shayera. He was important to her, but she was in pain right now, and he was not helping.

"This might hurt a bit" He put on a pair of latex gloves and got out a bowl of water. He quickly washed away the dried blood, then grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol, pouring it over the wound to disinfect it. It stung, but it was nothing she hadn't felt before. John picked up the needle, having been trained in emergency medical care in the army, and prepared to sew the wound shut.

"Yeah, yeah, I've had worse. Get on with it." He started stitching the wound closed quickly but neatly, not wanted the stitches to be crooked and have to redo them. It hurt, not as bad as the initial wound, but enough for Shayera to grit her teeth in pain. He didn't take long, completing stitching up the injury in twenty minutes, the sutures nice and straight. He then wrapped the stitches with gauze and bandages, ordering her to get some rest, which she scoffed at. Grodd was still out there and she had no idea where Flash was. She wasn't going to rest until they found at least one of them, though she probably wouldn't be much use fighting Grodd injured. So that leaves her with the task of finding Flash. Shayera wasn't very tech savy, so she would be of little to no help finding Grodd.

She stood up, intending to go to Central City to look for Flash-again-, but just as she planned to sneak out, Batman walked in. By himself. Huh, she wasn't expecting that. Usually he had to be dragged into the infirmary, his pride never allowing him to admit when he was injured. He sat on one of the medical tables, examining his own wounds. Without looking up, he deadpanned, "If I have to stay here, then so do you."

Damn it.

* * *

 ** **Central City, 5 PM:****

Wally wished his life was a musical. then he'd be able to sing out his problems and everything would get better. He'd win the big basketball game and get the girl, all while learning the important lesson of following your dreams.

But no. If someone randomly broke into song, their sanity would be questioned, which was a shame, because it'd be way easier to understand what people were thinking and feeling if they just sang out their problems instead of brooding in silence. He totally wasn't brooding though. That was Batman's thing. Pretty sure Bats had it copyrighted.

Okay he needed to stop moping and actually do something. He patrolled the city for the third time in six minutes, and still nothing.

Wally sighed, sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk eating a protein bar he had stashed in one of his secret food compartments on his costume. What? Batman had his utility belt, full of useful gadgets and gizmos; Wally had secret food pockets. This was why he needed a hobby. Instead of scarfing down his snack, he took slow thoughtful bites, enjoying the feeling of refueling his hungry body. He would give himself five more minutes of rest, and then go on another patrol.

In the midst of his thoughts, he was interrupted by a small high-pitched voice. "Umm, Mr. Flash why are you sad?" Looking up, Wally identified the voice as a little girl with two red pigtails holding a pink teddy bear. She was about almost three feet tall and had this adorable little concerned expression on her face. She looked about ten and had freckles on every inch of her face. She was the epitome of adorable.

"Nothing, sweetie, just had a long day that's all." He didn't want to upset the little angel with his depressing moping.

"My mamma says it's always best to talk to someone when I'm sad." The little girl spoke with that adorable little conviction all kids had when they talked about their parents. He couldn't argue with ten-year-old logic. As if sensing his apprehension, the little girl whispered, "It's okay, Mr. Flash, I won't tell anyone. I'm good at keeping secrets." She batted her eyelashes innocently, totally-and unfairly-using the puppy dog eyes on him. Seriously, how could he refuse this child? Wally would rather fight his Rogues' Gallery everyday than be guilt tripped by a child.

Wally sighed. "It's just, I thought these people were my friends and turns out there weren't."

The girl had this pensive expression on her face. After a moment she put her elbows on her knees and looked up at Wally. "How do you know?"

It was a simple enough question, but had Wally thrown for a second. Wally took a deep breath. "They don't respect me. They treat me like an annoying kid-uh no offense. It's just, I try to keep everyone happy and they don't seem to appreciate that, or me for that matter."

The little girl looked upset, like he just told her Santa Claus wasn't real-which Wally was still not over. He quickly tried to amend the situation, not knowing what to do if the kid started crying. "Don't worry about it kid. It's just my problem."

"Th-That's terrible Mr. Flash!" Her eyes were wide, full of unshed tears. ' _Way to go Wally. You almost made a kid cry.'_ She turned and hugged him, her tiny arms not quite reaching all the way around his torso, which was _adorable_. "My mamma says when someone's upset, hugs will make them feel better. Do you feel better now Mr. Flash?"

He fought the urge to coo. He kinda wanted to take this kid home, except for the fact that he would make a terrible parent and didn't know shit about raising a kid. How could he say no to that face?

"Yeah. I do feel better," he said honestly, his voice soft. It felt nice to have someone sincerely care about what he felt, even if that someone was a small child.

"Mr. Flash, can I have your autograph?" He chuckled at that. So that's why she came over. God kids were adorable.

"Sure thing, sweetie. What's your name?" She handed him the bear to sign, which had hot pink fur and was covered in Flash logo stickers. He turned the bear onto it's back, trying to find a relatively non-stickered spot to sign, which was conveniently placed on its tummy with the label **Flash sign here:** in scribbled handwriting. Did he mention how cute this kid was?

"I'm Darlene Davis and I'm 8 years old. And you're the Flash! You're the coolest hero ever!" She spoke so maturely for a eight-year-old. It was so cute!

He took out a Sharpie in one of his super secret pouches-don't judge him, a lot of people ask for his autograph and it's good to be prepared. He thought for a moment then signed:

 _ **To Darlene Davis,**_

 _ **Hey kid, thanks for cheering me up. I've got a feeling you're gonna do a lot in the future. Hope you go far.**_

 _ **Best wishes,**_

 _ **Flash**_

With the finishing touch of drawing his logo below the bear's belly button-which was really just a plastic heart-, he returned the bear, feeling a bit better about himself with the girl's enthusiasm meeting him. With smile Darlene turned around and ran back to who Wally assumed was her mother.

Wally shook his head with a smile. Kids were freaking adorable. He went back to eating his half-finished protein bar, when he saw-and heard-an explosion. Shoving the food in his mouth, he got up and ran towards the chaos, throwing the wrapper in the trash as he sped by. ' _Time to go to work'._

Racing around the corner, he tracked the source of the fire: Heat Wave. And Captain Boomerang. And Mirror Master. Together. Yay. Wally cracked his neck. It was gonna be one of those days, wasn't it?


	4. Without Them

**A/N: Hey guys! Just a quick note today. I updated chapter 3, which none of you really need to reread, seeing how all I did was change the time frame so instead of 2PM, everything from last chapter occur at 5PM. The only reason I changed this was because after a published that chapter and while writing this one, I thought who gets out of work before 2PM? Plus in this story, a day hasn't even passed yet, so that had to change, which it will...next chapter. This chapter does have Superman's POV for that random guest who commented, so yeah, Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Central City, 5:15 PM:**

It looked like the rogues were robbing the Central City Bank, though knowing these guys they probably just wanted to catch the Flash's attention and make his life more difficult. Ignoring the villains for now, Wally immediately ran through the burning building checking for any civilians.

None. Call his rogues gallery what you want, but they didn't endanger innocents needlessly. They treated villainy like an occupation; they weren't actually insane and evil people.

Wally skidded to a stop in front of the villains who looked at him expectantly. Each villain had a very large sack of money over their shoulders, as if they weren't stereotypical enough. Mirror Master was the leader by the looks of it; Captain Boomerang and Heat Wave were never ones to plan things out, opting to jump into a fight blindly instead, which was good for Wally seeing how both were dangerous and one of them had an obsession with fire.

"Well, well, well, look who decided to come," Mirror Master said, crossing his arms. "Not gonna lie Flash, I didn't think you were gonna show." The criminal raised his eyebrow in challenge. The other villains tensed, raising their weapons, ready to attack.

Wally gave them a charming smile. "Awww, Mirror Master, you missed me. I'm touched." Wally clutched his chest in a mock swoon, which seemed to annoy the villains going by their unamused expressions, well, and the fact that they shot at him.

He dodged the blast from Mirror Master's gun easily, however Captain Boomerang and Heat Wave joined in the fight, causing Wally to clumsily spin out of the way of the oncoming fire blast and boomerang and almost lose his footing. Okay, so that's how they're gonna play. Alright.

Wally sprinted around the rogues, using his enhanced perception to detect and dodge each attack towards him with minimal effort, creating a red vortex around the villains. Each villain tried to blast Wally as he circled them but to no avail. He was too fast. To the everyone else he was a red blur, his limbs disappearing, melding together into a scarlet streak. To him, everyone else was moving slowly, each person looking like a flipbook in slow-motion as he circled the rogues.

He ran faster, waiting for one of them to lose focus for a second to give him an opening. Wait for it. Waaait. NOW! Mirror Master glanced to his comrades, taking his eyes of Wally for less than a second, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. Wally suddenly veered towards the orange clad supervillain, and before he could blink, punched Mirror Master repeatedly using his superspeed until the villain fell unconscious. The entire attack took only ten seconds, which was long enough for Heat Wave and Captain Boomerang to notice Wally stopped. The two turned towards Wally while he was distracted with Mirror Master, Heat Wave shooting a stream of fire and hitting the back of Wally's costume.

"Argh!" Bastard got a lucky shot. Wally swerved away from the villain, twisting his body in a way that only served to aggravate the fresh burn wound on his back. Mother fu-hugger! Wally grit his teeth. His costume no doubt had a burned hole in the back. Man, he just fixed this one! At least he had extras. Annnd of course he was thinking about the state his costume instead of his injury. Man, burns sucked. He was going to have to be careful about this.

His thoughts were interrupted by the whooshing sound of boomerangs thrown his way. Right. Bad guys first, inner ramblings later. He slid to a stop, ducking under the silver projectiles, then changing direction, not wanting to be hit on the rebound.

He was a red streak, flying over the pavement, dodging and evading, surveying the situation to decide the best possible time to attack. He sprinted towards Captain Boomerang, zigzagging across the pavement to evade the streams of fire from Heat Wave's flamethrower. Boomerang, recognizing he was Wally's next target, threw boomerangs in his direction then retreated towards his ally. The boomerangs served more as a distraction for Wally, allowing both Captain Boomerang and Heat Wave to regroup. And Mirror Master was regaining consciousness. Damn.

"So Heat Wave, Captain Boomerang. What exactly is the plan here?" Wally called out. He was not one to fight without bantering with his villains, and he was honestly curious. "I mean, you guys rob the bank, I show up and kick your butts, then you go back to jail. That's how it goes. So why don't we cut out the middleman, and you guys just turn yourselves in?"

Boomerang scowled and charged, Heat Wave covering him."You would like that wouldn't you?" He swung at Wally, in each hand a razor-sharp boomerang. Wally dodged his strikes, throwing a few punches of his own which were dodged by Boomerang as well. Spinning to avoid a fire blast, Wally was clipped by one of the Captain Boomerang's swings, ripping part of his costume on his shoulder and drawing blood. The criminal smiled wolfishly as Heat Wave repeatedly shot streams of fire towards the hero. Wally, so focused on Heat Wave and Captain Boomerang, forgot about Mirror Master who shot Wally with his mirror gun thingy-honestly, Wally had no idea what it really was-, the blast knocking Wally to the ground...right onto the burns on his back. Owowowowow!

Wally hissed in pain, picking himself off the ground and facing the bad guys. Time to kick it up a notch. Circling the villains once again, he ran just below the speed of sound, the villains standing back to back to back. Wally dropped into a slide tackle-the one thing he learned from watching soccer-, slamming into Heat Wave's kneecaps and taking him down, however Heat Wave was a bit trigger happy and fired his weapon as he fell, burning both Wally and his allies. Sonova _bitch_. Wally jumped back to avoid the flames, though Captain Boomerang and Mirror Master were not as quick and got singed by their ally. This was why Wally hated fighting Heat Wave. He was the type to shoot first and ask questions never, which resulted in multiple people-mainly Wally-having to get treated for burn wounds.

Without missing a beat, Wally sped over to the distracted-and slightly barbecued-villains, quickly punching Captain Boomerang a few dozen times with his superspeed. Two down, one idiot in orange and green to go.

Wally skidded to a stop, turning on his heel to face Mirror Master and using his hand to stabilize the movement, which made him look extremely badass. Mirror Master raised his weapon and fired, a white blast sprouting from his mirror ray thing-seriously, what was that thing? Time slowed, the lightning-like stream seemingly freezing in the air. Wally took a deep breath, bolting towards the villain and avoiding the ray. He ducked under the stream, knocking the gun from Mirror Master's hands. Time sped back up to normal, as he sidestepped the villain's punch and countered with his own, Mirror Master falling to the ground, defeated.

Wally rounded up his villains, taking a minute to catch his breath while waiting for the authorities to arrive. Once the criminals were all detained, Wally sped towards his apartment to treat his injuries and rest.

* * *

Speeding into his apartment, Wally immediately stripped out of his costume down to his boxers, throwing the ripped and singed garment on his couch. He got his first aid kit out of the bathroom and turned, evaluating the extent of his injuries through the mirror. Yikes.

"Damn," he sighed, surveying his burn wound on his back was bad. At least a second degree burn-possibly third-, though he could still feel pain-extreme pain-from the wound, so thankfully there was no nerve damage. The angry red skin was ripped raw from his movements, blood congealed along the cracks of his skin, the fire he was attacked with having cauterized the wound. The wound was interlaced with black charred skin tissue, evidence of a more serious injury. Right to the left of his spine was a large patch of yellow pus-filled blisters, each a dime in size, hiding the fact that several layers of dermal tissue beneath the pustules were burned off, exposing the pale sensitive innermost layers of his dermis. This was good, that meant the burn did not penetrate past his skin layers, meaning no muscle or bone damage. So second degree burn, a really bad second degree burn.

He gazed down at his shoulder, the bleeding from his cut received by Captain Boomerang finally slowing to a stop. The laceration was mostly superficial, only half an inch deep and extending 6 ½ inches long. Due to his enhanced healing, it would be entirely healed by tomorrow, only leaving a pink scar half the size. He would still have to clean and cover it though. Infections were a bitch.

The laceration on his shoulder and a fairly large burn on his back were the most concerning, the rest being bruises or minor cuts from when he was thrown to the ground. However since the burn was on his back and the cut was on his arm, this was going to be a bit more difficult.

Usually when he was injured, he could just go to the Watchtower to get treatment, his friends teammates all well learned in first aid. But that wasn't an option, since he wasn't on the team anymore. Well this sucked. He looked at his injuries again with an analytical eye. He could do this. He didn't need help.

First things first, he had to clean his injuries. After washing his hands, he lowered himself into his bathtub, seeing that trying to use the sink would be more difficult and he'd make a mess. He turned the faucet on and waited until the water turned cool, then slowly bent so the his back was under the stream of water. Wally moaned. It felt soooo good, the initial scorching heat of the burn being drowned out by the wonderful cool water. He reached for the soap, rubbing the bar in his hands to create a lather, and gently scrubbed the wound, hissing in pain as dead and burned skin came off in the process and soap stung the new exposed skin below. Carefully, he rinsed himself off, using a towel to lightly pat himself dry then got out of the tub.

Opening his medicine cabinet, Wally got out some Bacitracin he had on hand, applying the majority of the tube onto his burn with some difficulty, seeing how the wound was on his back where he couldn't see it. Now all he had to do was bandage his wounds and then he was done. Easier said than done.

He got out what little gauze he had and quickly bandaged the cut on his shoulder, using his chin to keep the gauze in place as he wrapped the bandage over it. Now for the hard part. Using the mirror behind and infront of him, he got the gauze in place...ish, and started to loosely bandage the burn by holding the end on the curve of his neck with one hand, throwing the rest of the roll over his shoulder with the other, hoping it covered the gauze, picking it up from the floor to wrap the bandage around his torso, and repeating the process. The result was a really crooked job, but it covered the burn, which was all that really mattered. Still hurt like a bitch though.

If Wally was normal, he'd take some Ibuprofen or some type of pain medication to dull the ever-present stinging and burning of his skin. However Wally was a speedster meaning his body would metabolize the medication too fast for it to have an effect on him. The only pain medication-or any medication-that would work on him was the heavy duty types like morphine, which would leave him feeling drugged out of his mind and loopy for a glorious fifteen minutes only for the pain to come back twice as...well painful.

He sighed, walking to his kitchen to get some food-healing takes a lot of energy out of him so he gets hungry faster. Opening his freezer, he surveyed his options, ultimately deciding on the classy choice of frozen Stouffers mac 'n cheese. He followed the directions, putting the frozen yellow soon-to-be actual food into the microwave for 6 minutes. 6 excruciating minutes. Wally groaned, sitting down in his chair.

He turned on the tv to distract himself from his eternally hungry stomach, channel surfing until he reached the news channel. He smiled softly. Linda was currently reporting a segment on his battle with the Rogues today. Wally sighed again. _Linda_. There was no one quite like Linda. She was beautiful and smart and funny and actually liked Wally for a change.

Wally sighed with a smile on his face as Linda went over the details of the battle and her concerns for Flash's injuries. God she was perfect. She was perfect, and he was going to lose her, just like he always does. But that's what happens when you don't tell your girlfriend something really important like for instance being the Flash. Linda was incredibly intelligent; she knew when he lied to her. Then again, Wally wasn't the best liar either. But he couldn't tell her no matter how much he wanted to. It was the first thing Uncle Barry ever taught him as Kid Flash. Secret identities stay secret. If his secret I.D. was ever revealed, everyone he had ever known would be in danger, including Linda. If he had to lose her to protect her then he would.

The beeping from the microwave scared him out of his musings, a bitter taste in his mouth. Wally got up and carefully removed the neon orange and molten hot mac 'n cheese from the microwave, getting a spoon out and returning to his spot on the couch. He didn't have to push Linda away. He could make it work. He'd just have to work on his excuses. Plus, he thought bittersweetly, now he was out of the League, he'd have more time for Linda. He could fix it.

He ate his boiling lava hot food quickly and waited for the news program to end, picking up his phone. He dialed her number then paused. What if it was too late? What if she was still mad at him? He risked it anyway, pressing 'call'.

For a few dread-filled moments, the phone rung without response. On the fourth ring, someone picked up.

"Hello?" Wally smiled to himself, relieved Linda answered. Hope filled his chest.

"Hey Linda, it's Wally," Okay he'd have to play this right. He didn't want to ruin this.

"O-oh. Um hey Wally. What's up?" Great, she was uncomfortable. She probably wasn't expecting him to call her. Okay, it's now or never.

Wally took a deep breath. "Look Linda, I know I haven't been the greatest these past weeks. I've been busy, and I guess I pushed you out. I'm really sorry. I never meant to hurt you, and I promise to make it up to you if...if you are still willing to give me that chance."

Linda didn't say anything for a moment, which felt like years to Wally. He had never been so nervous in all of his life. "Wally…" Linda's voice sounded great he blew it.

"Linda, I'm not above begging," Wally depanned. It was meant as a joke, but both knew he was serious.

She laughed-well, okay, laughed might be an overstatement. It was probably more of a giggle or chuckle, but still it was something. Wally smiled hopefully, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice.

"I love you Linda, and I swear I will prove it to you. No matter how long it takes," Wally paused for a second thinking over what he just said. "Actually just pretend you didn't hear that. It sounded super creepy."

She laughed again. Okay, this is good. "I thought it was sweet," she said. A smile could be heard in her voice. "Alright, Mr. West, it looks like you've got another shot at this."

Desperately trying to keep the excitement out of his voice, he quickly replied, "Thank you Linda. You won't regret it, I promise." He was unsuccessful, though Linda thought it was funny, so it was all good.

"I'll...I'll call you later?" Even with everything fixed between them, Wally was still a bit hesitant. Sure he was a humongous flirt, but when he was in a relationship, he tried to be as courteous and gentlemanly as possible. Aunt Iris would have his head if she ever found out he was rude to a date.

"Alright. Bye Wally," she said softly, and hung up. Wally exhaled loudly with relief, a giant smile plastered to his smile.

"WOOHOO! YEAH BABY!" Wally shouted joyously, jumping onto his couch and throwing his hands into the air. Finally something went right today. His smile remained on his face for the rest of the day, even when he heard his neighbors screaming at him to shut up.

* * *

 **Watchtower, 6:28 PM:**

Superman was tired, mentally and physically. Flash quit out of the blue and he couldn't do anything about it because Grodd decided to steal weapons from S.T.A.R Labs. He didn't understand it. Everything was fine. Why did Flash think he was unneeded? They certainly needed him today. Flash would have evened the odds. Flash would have caught Grodd before he could escape. Flash was...their friend. Why would he think he wasn't wanted?

Superman shook himself. This was no time for brooding. He could mope about Flash later, right now he had to find Grodd. He would figure out the whole Flash thing later.

"We need to find out why Grodd was in Metropolis. What did he steal?" Superman thought aloud.

Batman walked up to the Watchtower's main computer from behind him and brought up several visuals of each device on the monitor, stoically listing the abilities of each.

"Quantum cascade terahertz laser chip. Extremely delicate, intended to be used for chemical analysis, scanning, and medical imaging. The application of this device would allow the operator to essentially see past materials that block out visible light.

"Xenon difluoride diamond anvil battery cell prototype. Sent to S.T.A.R Labs for further research. In theory, this prototype could be the most powerful non-nuclear battery in the world, being able to store more condensed energy than any other battery in existence.

"Red sun radiation cannons." Batman spared Superman a glance. Red sun radiation was one of his only physical weaknesses besides kryptonite. "Commissioned for research and development by the government. Most likely intended to be a failsafe."

That left a bitter taste in his mouth. Superman knew that he was disliked by certain people, especially those of political power. He couldn't be controlled by them which is something the government hated. He knew that a failsafe was necessary for if he ever got out of control-like in that alternate universe, which still gave him the chills-, but it was different actually seeing and experiencing said failsafe firsthand. These cannons probably weren't even the worst of it.

Batman tilted his head slightly in thought, analyzing what all three stolen devices could do together and why Grodd would want them.

"It seems like Grodd is building something. Though with the small quantities he's stolen, he will most likely strike again. I'll run a search of all facilities for related devices and calculate the probability of where Grodd striking next." Batman, despite being injured from the previous battle, went right in to his task, already having into various databases and networks as he spoke.

Superman gave Batman a flat look, watching as the man pushed himself to work, even though he was bleeding on the floor. He sighed. The stubbornness of that man was shocking.

"Batman." He was ignored...as expected. Superman tried again.

" _Batman._ " Again met with the same cold shoulder. Seriously, for a guy who terrorizes criminals at night, he sure can be childish.

"Don't make me get Diana." Ha! Success! Batman stopped and turned towards him with an annoyed glare.

"What. I'm busy." Batman growled. Superman crossed his arms, glaring right back.

"You're injured." Batman raised his eyebrow unimpressed.

At this point Superman was ready to drag Batman. The two stared at each other until Batman got up with a neutral expression and left without a word. Superman's eyebrows shot up. That...that was unexpected. Not that he was complaining. Superman wasn't going to look a gifthorse in the mouth, or whatever that expression means.

* * *

So Grodd was building something. Great another thing to worry about. He walked to the control room, ready to relieve J'onn from monitor duty.

"Hey J'onn, I'll take over from here why don't you take a break?" Superman noticed J'onn was looking a bit down since Flash left-guilty even. Well, he was a telepath. He probably blamed himself for not noticing what Flash was feeling beforehand. J'onn looked tired, having took it upon himself to cover Flash's monitor shift today. Superman put his hand on J'onn's shoulder and offered him a smile.

The martian looked like he wanted to protest, but thought against it, most likely recognizing his own fatigue, and stalked out of the room. Superman sat down in the chair, glancing at each computer screen for signs of trouble. Nope, nope, nope, police could handle that, and nope. Superman sighed. Looks like it's gonna be a boring night.

After twenty minutes on nothing, he decided to turn the news on one of the empty screens. Technically it's the same thing as watching the monitor screens. Let's see what's happening. Scrolling through most of the major cities' news stations, he ended up watching Central City News. Apparently there was an attempted robbery by some supervillains today-around the same time Grodd broke into S.T.A.R Labs his mind supplied. The Flash stopped them all with minimal property damages and only a few injuries.

A clip of the fight was shown of Flash taking down Mirror Master easily. Superman shifted uneasily. Flash was a respected and honored hero of Central City. Watching the clip, you could obviously see why. Everyone on the League knew Flash was a force to be reckoned with. He was a respected hero of his own right. He was their friend. He didn't understand it. One day everything's fine, the next everything goes to hell.

No. That wasn't right. This wasn't something overnight. This was a slow build up. But why? Why did Flash think he was unwanted? Why? He was their friend- _his_ friend.

The camera zoomed in on a shot of Flash helping the police detain the villains. He looked different, more relaxed and content than with the League. What was different though? Why did he look happier in Central than with his friends? Then again, Central City was his home. He was Central City's hero. He was looked up to. While among the League, he was among equals. Maybe he liked being treated special? No. That wasn't it. As much as he liked attention, Flash was no gloryhound.

What was it? Superman was getting a bit frustrated. He wanted his friend back. Sure, he wasn't as close to Flash as John or Shayera, but still. He considered Flash a close friend. Superman threaded his hands through his hair, pulling slightly in annoyance. Without Flash, the League was less...together. Flash was the team player. He always got along and talked to everyone, making sure everyone felt included-even Batman.

Now that he was gone, Superman feared the League would fall apart. Which he still didn't understand. Was he too hard on Flash? Superman was honestly just hurt that Flash fell asleep on him. Maybe he overreacted. Flash never really paid attention to the team briefings anyway, but still managed to know what they were about. this was just the first time Flash fell asleep during one. Superman didn't mean to be the bad guy in all this. He just wanted Flash to take the League and what they did seriously.

He turned off the tv and checked the clock. 8:16. Wow. Time flies when you brood. He stood up and walked down to the transporters, beaming down to Metropolis. Tomorrow Superman would find Flash and explain everything. He would fix it.


	5. What's in a Friend?

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry if you got impatient. This chapter just didn't like me. Anyway, I can't believe the amount of people who read this! It's wonderful! Shoutout to MarburyBlur and Uber Kewl. I loved your reviews-mostly because I read them while at work and had to restrain myself from squealing. I couldn't do anything about the dorky smile though, so I got some strange looks by some customers. Really I could sit here and name the whole lot of you who commented and followed and all, but my fingers hurt. Anyway prepare yourselves for John's POV, which might be OOC, but I tried people. The second half of this chapter did not want to be written. Oh and in addition to the timestamp, I put a date-which I should have done in the first place, but forgot. So today-in the story-is July 8th, which means yesterday was July 7th. Also, I know Vicki Vale and Alexander Knox are both reporters in Gotham. I tried to find reporters from Central City besides Linda Park and and Iris West, but Wikipedia failed me. So I mentioned them. With that out of the way, enjoy!**

 **Central City July 8** **th** **, 3:12 PM:**

Today was starting out to be awesome. He replaced his disgraceful failure of an alarm clock and actually got to work early for a change, earning some brownie points from his boss, the coffee incident long behind him-thank God! Because he was early, he was able to make up the work he missed yesterday, leading to the conviction of one car thief, two cat burglars, and one murderer. At his lunch break, he called Linda and they both met up to have coffee at Jitters Cafe, which was great. They talked and laughed and had a great time without any super-powered interruptions. They even have another date planned for Thursday at 6:30.

After another two hours of analyzing chemicals and testing particulates, Wally finally ended his shift and went on a quick patrol, though there was most likely nothing criminal happening after the rogues' failure yesterday. Wally ran around the city's perimeter, and as expected, there was no criminal activity-well unless you counted the guy listening to Nickelback. That's a crime against music.

With the lack of activity, Wally went on a run, jogging-well jogging for him, which was just a few miles per hour above the speed of sound-a few laps around the world to clear his head. Despite yesterday's events, Wally was fine. He wasn't one to mope or hold grudges, so he easily accepted and adapted to his new solo status. Along with superspeed, Wally's entire body operated on a hyper-accelerated level, meaning he has super fast healing, an accelerated metabolism-both a blessing and a curse-, and faster brain functions. He can think on a hyper-accelerated rate, weighing the benefits and costs of each decision in less than a second. He never really acted on impulse, despite what the League thought. So when he quit the League, it wasn't a rash decision. He thought over all of his options and judged the positives and negatives of each, deciding that resignation was the best course of action.

He was still in a bit of a head place though. Knowing his teammates-were they still friends?-they would be confused and try to talk him into coming back. Why couldn't they see that this was best for everyone? They could be the serious League they always wanted to be, and he could have more time for Central City...and Linda. If Wally didn't quit, the rogues would have gotten away and someone could have gotten hurt. Everyone won. Well except that he lost his friends. They...they would understand. Hell, they were probably celebrating his absence.

Wally steeled himself as he reached Central City, shaking any negative thoughts away. _This was a good thing._ He made his rounds through Central yet again, waving to people as he passed. Maybe he'd stop by the orphanage later. He sighed in contentment. God he loved his job. And of course this rare serene moment had to be ruined by his phone.

"Hips don't lie" by Shakira obnoxiously blared from one of his secret pockets. He groaned, running into an empty alley down Center Street to discreetly answer his phone.

"Yeeee'llo?" Walky answered, leaning against the brick wall of the alley with his cowl down around his neck.

"So you wanna tell me what wrong?" the voice of his best friend since his Kid Flash days asked. Why would he...oh. Ohhhh. Wally didn't tell him he quit. Damn it he's gonna be pissy.

"Dick! Long time no see. How's Blüdhaven?" Abort! Abort! Hang up! Aww man Dick's gonna be pissed Wally didn't tell him.

"Wally. Cut the crap. You quit the Justice League. What happened?" Straight to the point then. Wally sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this.

"Look it's a long story-one that really can't be told over the phone. Besides I'm-uhhhh-I'm...busy! Yeah extremely busy right now so I'll have to call you back later, okay?" Wally hoped he didn't sound desperate or panicked. This reaaaally wasn't the conversation he wanted to be having with his best bud.

"No you aren't. You're standing in an alley by yourself in your costume." ...okay, that was just scary. How did he...?

"...You can see me can't you?" His inquiry was met with Dick's signature cackle that struck fear into the hearts of grown men. Of course Dick was in Central. A dark figure jumped down from the rooftops next to him, performing a series of impressive flips and doves in the process. Show off.

"Seriously Walls, you're a terrible liar," Dick teased. Wally smiled regardless. It was so good to see his bro again.

"Nice to see you too, Dickie bird." Two could play at this game. Wally was the champion of teasing and would defend his title with his last breath. Dick groaned at the nickname, throwing Wally a half-hearted glare and effectively easing the miniscule tension creates during their phone call.

"Walls," Dick spoke softly, showing the sincerity in his voice. "C'mon talk to me. I know you. I know something's wrong." Looks like there was no dodging it. If he didn't confess now, Dick would pester him until he surrendered. That's friendship for you.

"How'd you find out? I haven't seen you in months. Did Bats-I mean Batman tell you?" Wally was genuinely curious. It was not like he announced he quit to the world.

Dick raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "You weren't there when the League fought Grodd yesterday." Oh yeah. That. Duh.

"Oh." Wally visibly deflated, his shoulders slumping down and eyes fixed in some point behind Dick on the brick wall.

"It's-" Wally sighed, running his hand through his hair. "They treat me like a kid-like an idiot incapable of doing anything right. It's-God it's frustrating!" He glanced at Dick, who had an impassive expression on his face but motioned for him to continue.

"They don't think I can take anything seriously. I mean, Flash can't possibly have a good idea or do anything besides making stupid inappropriate jokes. They-they don't respect me." He slid down to the ground sitting criss-cross applesauce. Were they justified? I mean he did do stupid things sometimes. But he did his job. He saved people in a _flash_.

His was so absorbed in his thoughts, he practically jumped when Dick laid a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his friend's mask, his eyes begging a silent question.

"Are you happy with your decision?" Dick asked quietly.

Wally was silent for a minute, not expecting his happiness to be a concern in regards to this situation. He quit because it was best for the League, yes. But wasn't there a part of him that quit because he _wanted to_? That wanted to prove them wrong? There was a part of him that wanted to be respected and treated as an equal. That part of him realized he would never really be happy on the League and had enough.

He looked up at his best friend with a fierce stare full of certainty. "Yes." He was absolutely certain that quitting was the best option for him-not just for the team, but him.

Dick smirked, bending down and throwing his arm over Wally's shoulders. "Then everything's gonna be fine. Either the the League gets their heads out of their asses, or they learn to work without you. The important thing is that you did this because you wanted to."

Wally smiled standing up along with Dick. "So did you come all the way over here just to see little old me or is there some other reason you came all the way out to Missouri?" Wally teased, elbowing Dick in the ribs jauntily. He knew Dick too well for this to be all for him. Don't get him wrong, when Dick was in trouble Wally ran over in a flash-heh Flash puns. Dick couldn't for obvious reasons and would have just called, which meant he was already on his way to the Midwest when he heard the news.

Dick gave him a sheepish smile. "You got me there. Got a call from Tim. He needed some help on a case with the Titans. But I totally was going to stop in Central before I heard the news." So he'd probably be leaving soon. But that wasn't to say he couldn't hang with Wally for a bit.

"But the next flight outta Central to Jump City isn't until 4:45, which gives us almost an hour to hang." Dick remedied. The two boys cracked matching grins.

"How convenient," Wally smirked. "I seem to have some free time. Shall we?" Dick cackled, following Wally as he sped out of the alley. It was good to see his friend acting like himself again.

"Now there's the Wally I know," Dick chuckled as he chased his friend.

* * *

After 45 minutes of goofing off and going on patrol with Di-ahem Nightwing, Wally bid his friend farewell and went back to his apartment. Spending time with Dick made him feel a hell of a lot better. He knew Dick would be upfront and honest with him, and if he said Wally did the right thing, then it was true.

With a bit of a bounce in his step, Wally entered his apartment complex, climbing the four flights of stairs at a normal pace-lest any of his neighbors see him using superspeed. Shutting the door as he walked inside, Wally took off his shirt and went over to his mirror to inspect his bandages. He flinched. The beige bandages were stained dark red, the blood from his burn having bled through the wrappings. He carefully tugged on the bandage only to wince in pain. Oww...the bandage was stuck to his skin. The only way to remove the wrappings and replace them with clean gauze would be to rip it off, which would reopen the wound. Wally grimaced. He had to replace the gauze, the old ones could cause the burn to become infected.

' _Okay West, just rip it off. Like a band-aid. Quick and painless.'_ He started to gently unwind the dirty wrappings, until most of it was off except for the gauze stuck to his flesh. Wally took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. Oh man this was gonna hurt. Okay, okay. Deep breath. One, two, three!

"FUCK!" Wally screeched, biting into his hand to muffle his screams. Son of a _BITCH_ that fucking hurt! Oh God! That hurt worse than the initial burn. He inhaled loudly, gritting his teeth and hissing in pain. Getting out a roll of clean bandages and gauze, he ignored the sting of the air on his raw, exposed injury. Wally reapplied Bacitracin and redressed his wound rather quickly compared to his first time. Stretching his shoulder and only wincing slightly from the movement, Wally deemed his injuries fine, the laceration on his shoulder having already healed as expected and the burn being expected to heal in a day or two.

Deciding to go on one more patrol before dinner, Wally quickly changed into one of his spare, non-ripped, non-burned costumes and sped out the door down to to the street. Let's see who decided to break the law today. Hmm nothing. Not even a jaywalker. Damn. _'Might as well check Keystone'_ he thought, turning on his heel and running across the river.

Ah Keystone, Central City's sister city. Like Central, Keystone was a fairly clean city with a relatively moderate crime rate. Central City, Missouri, though in a different state than Keystone, Kansas, was joined with its sister city by a bridge running across state lines over the river. The population was slightly lower than Central, though the people were just as nice and welcoming in Wally's opinion. Though Central City was the Flash's main base of operations, Wally made sure to have both cities under his protection. He frequented both Keystone and Central to the point where he was honored and loved by both cities.

Keystone looked almost exactly the same as its sister city to the nonnative visitor, and often got confused for its twin across the river. However there were a few differences that distinguished the two: the City Hall building, and the town square. In Keystone, both locations were adjacent of one another on the East side of the city opposite of the bridge. In Central, the town square was in the center of town while the City Hall was in the South side of the city.

Wally made his way past City Hall, waving to a group of excited preteens as he passed and heading towards the town square. So far, there was relatively no crime-well at least crime that warrant the Flash's intervention. Wally didn't think it was his place to haul someone to jail for double parking or blowing a red light. Once he arrived to the town square, he skidded to a stop. ' _Crap.'_ He should have expected something like this to happen eventually. Wally's ever-present smile faltered a bit before straightening-though it seemed more forced. He took a deep breath and sped towards the floating figure in the middle of the square attracting everyone's attention.

"Hey John. What's up?"

* * *

 **Watchtower July 8** **th** **, 4:00 PM:**

John was not having a good day. Superman called a last-minute meeting to discuss the whole Flash fiasco, to which Batman detested, claiming it was a waste of time. This meeting however coincided with plans he had made with Rex Mason, which they had made months previous after he was mutated into Metamorpho. On top of that, the meeting was turning out to be pointless. Superman was adamant on trying to talk Flash out of it, while Batman believed they should leave Flash alone. The whole thing was an argument from the start.

Personally, John wanted to give Flash some space-only for a few days-, then talk to him about it. Honestly they should be focusing on Grodd's next move, instead of wasting time on personal issues. Sadly, he was the only one who agreed with Batman it seemed, Diana, Shayera, and J'onn all siding with Superman. And now they were going to waste time bickering over who was going to find and talk to Flash.

Superman stubbornly argued that he alone should track down and talk to Flash, which Shayera was against, seeing how she didn't think he could do it. No one did to be honest. Sure Superman was a great leader, but he really wasn't all that close to Flash. He didn't know Wally like Shayera or John. However, Shayera couldn't go because she was injured. She needed to rest her wings. J'onn was a valid option; he could use his telepathy to find Flash, however like Superman, Flash wasn't all that friendly with the martian. Well he was-he was friendly with everyone-but they weren't very close. Diana could try, but Flash would probably just hit on her the whole time. The only two candidates were John and Batman. Batman, besides not wanting to be involved, intimidated Flash, leaving John as the best option, much to Superman's dismay. He and Flash were pretty close and he could fly, cutting travel time.

John had no qualms about tracking down Flash and talking him out of whatever possessed him to quit-well besides the timing of it since they should be out looking for Grodd instead-except he wasn't in the best of moods. Flash could be quite a handful and often times got on his nerves a bit. John didn't want to ruin his friendship with Flash over this whole situation. John knew Flash had the tendency to act childish and immature, but he did good work. John only wished he took being the Flash seriously. As the Flash, he was a symbol-a role model. John didn't think Flash fully understood that.

Beaming down to Earth, John began his search in Central City, Missouri, Flash's apparent hometown. He flew over the city, keeping an eye out for any sign of the scarlet speedster. After almost two hours of searching, John came up empty-handed. Sure he asked around, but the Flash could be anywhere and change direction in a dime. He was never in one place for longer than a few seconds, making any eyewitness accounts useless.

Deciding to switch tactics, John asked some bystanders of any common locations the Flash could be found. Besides the general reaction of "Holy crap you're a superhero!", the people of Central City were very kind and helpful, directing him towards their sister city Keystone which was also under Flash's protection. It was surprising the amount of respect and admiration these people had for the Flash. They loved him. They loved his jokes, they loved his personality, they loved his immaturity, they loved his friendliness. They absolutely loved every little bit of their hero. Still, just because his hometown loved how he did things doesn't mean that it was right. Being on a team-the Justice League-where the fate of the world rested on their shoulders every other day was a serious job. It wasn't a joke or something to take lightly. One mistake and someone could _die_.

Flying over to Keystone, John quickly circled the city, surveying all the ground he had to cover. He was hovering over a playground when he saw it-it being the red streak zooming through the streets heading North. John quickly flew to the town square to better gauge where the speedster was headed. He floated to the ground, looking all around him for that flash of red. His search was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Hey John. What's up?"

John spun around quickly, taking in the sight of his friend. Flash casually sauntered towards him like any old day with an easy smirk on his face. It was a bit odd, given his dramatic exit yesterday.

"Flash! There you are. I've been looking all over for you," John breathed. The search was pretty exhausting for him, his eyes bleary and red from the wind in his eyes from flying. His shoulders sagged from fatigue, and his ring was low on power. All in all, John had seen better days. Wally on the other hand looked peppy and calm, despite his performance yesterday. It kinda pissed John off. Here he was, worried about the guy, and Flash has the nerve to look well-rested and relaxed.

"Uhh why?" Flash sounded surprised, his voice raising an octave in confusion. What did he think? That he'd just leave and they wouldn't want to know why? John furrowed his brow, black bushy eyebrows scrunching together into a uni-brow in concern.

"Because I'm your friend, and I was worried about you. You made quite the exit yesterday," John said slowly, his tone incredulous. Flash was acting...off. It was almost like he was surprised someone cared about him. "Are you...okay? What happened?"

Flash gave John a bitter smile. "I quit. Duh." Flash clenched his hands at his sides. This was unsettling to say the least. John had never seen Flash like this. He doubted anyone in the League had. "Look is there something you wanted, or are you just going to waste my time? I have a city to protect."

John's eyebrows shot up quickly, almost disappearing into his hairline at his friend's curt retort. Flash sounded angry-an adjective never used to describe the hero before. John was confused. Why would Flash be angry? Just the other day he was upset and quit the League under the excuse of they were better off without him. And now he was angry at them. What was wrong? Did something happen to Flash that he wasn't telling them? Was this event the Flash? It could be an evil shape shifting imposter for all John knew.

"Hey now, no need for any hostility. I was just concerned for you as the rest of the League is."

"Concerned? Really?" Wally drawled, bored. He arched his shoulder, cracking his back in a disinterested manner. What the hell? What was wrong with Wally? "Well I am fine. Great even. So thanks for visiting, but if you don't mind, I have to get going. People's lives at stake and all."

Was it just John or did Wally sound vindictive? John reached out in confusion, "Wally wait!" But before he finished speaking, Wally was gone in a gust of wind and a streak of scarlet. That was weird. What the...what even….why? Instead of getting answers, John was even more confused. He knew less about the speedster than he thought. What the hell was going on inside that guy's head?

* * *

Did that really just happen? Wally just totally mouthed off to John. Holy crap. He should apologize. Maybe offer an explanation for his actions. He should. But he wasn't going to. The League just wanted to save face. There had to be some news report by now about Flash's absence during the League's fight against Grodd, and they didn't want the bad publicity. Yeah that was it.

But then again, it was John. John his friend. Sure the the League probably sent him, but he did seem genuinely concerned. Ugh, why was this all confusing? John was worried about him, and Wally just blew him off-quite rudely too. Now the League would be even more active in their efforts to find out what was wrong. But nothing was. They were wasting time on him when they should be focusing on Grodd.

Wally snorted to himself as he sped across to the bridge towards Central. He sounded like Bats. They would probably send someone else tomorrow, and this time he wouldn't be thrown off guard. He would calmly explain that both he and the League benefited from his resignation, and they would see he was right. Everything would be fine. And then he'd get victory donuts!

He walked into his apartment, stripping out of his costume and changing into his pj's. Speaking of donuts, he was _starving_. Seriously when was the last time he ate?! He sped over to his fridge looking for any form of acceptable sustenance. Last he ate was two hours ago with Dick. Wally smiled. His friend's visit really got him out of that depressing funk. He hadn't seen Dick in ages, and coming to Central was the best surprise ever. Oh man, if Dick found out, then he definitely told Roy. And Roy would be beyond angry-well Roy was always angry, so it would be ten times worse. Wally shook his head in exasperation. He was going to get one hell of a phone call later.

After a few moments debating the nutritional value of ice cream for dinner, Wally picked out a box of frozen waffles-Eggo® of course-and popped two in the toaster. He was going to need a few more boxes to sate his hunger, but for now, it would do. That reminded him, he desperately needed to restock his fridge. Looks like he was grocery shopping tomorrow. Wally internally groaned. He absolutely despised grocery shopping. He always got dirty looks from other customers because of how much food he had to buy to feed himself. Stupid hyper-accelerated metabolism. Plus, the nosy cashier would always judge him. So what if he still ate Lucky Charms cereal. So what if he bought the special edition box that included a Transformers action figure. Wally didn't need the critical stare of some disparaging minimum wage cashier. His self-esteem was fragile!

His waffles popped up, scaring him out of his internal rant. He quickly removed the waffles from the silver deathtrap and put the delicious slices of heaven on a plate, pouring copious amounts of syrup on top. He sat down on his cheap, gaudy yellow couch-hey, it was _on sale_!-and turned on the tv. Rapidly switching channels while shoveling waffles into his face, he stopped on a news report on the League's fight yesterday. What? He was curious.

* * *

" **And let's move on to the League's fight against simian criminal, Gorilla Grodd. Vicki, what do you have for us?"**

" **Thank you, is Vicki Vale of Picture News. From eyewitness reports and a confirmation by the Metropolis Police, it seems Grodd has escaped the Justice League with some experimental prototypes from S.T.A.R Labs. According to the head of security, Grodd stole two red sun radiation canons, a Xenon difluoride diamond anvil battery cell, and a Quantum cascade terahertz laser chip. The canons were to attack Superman in his escape, however, the purpose for the laser chip and battery cell are still unclear. The Justice League has yet to make any statements.**

" **Though the League fought valiantly, there were several injuries noted by onlookers, the most severe being those of Hawkgirl. In addition to more injuries, there were no signs of the Flash during this battle. This could be because of the incident in Central City yesterday where Mirror Master, Captain Boomerang, and Heat Wave attempted to rob Central City Bank, however this occurred** _ **after**_ **the break-in at S.T.A.R Labs. Could this mean that the Flash was ejected from the League? We will have more on this story tomorrow at 6. Now let's hear about the man in Fawcett City who tried to rob a gas station using a plastic spoon. Knox?"**

" **Troubled teen, Axel Walker-"**

* * *

 **Undisclosed Location July 8th, 7:29 PM:**

The tv was turned off gently in the dank abandoned subway station. The villain had a cruel, cold smile on his face. So Flash was no longer a part of his super squad. Good. This would make everything run smoother. Those canons were no longer required, however it was best to keep them just in case. Yes, he would get his revenge on that red-clad idiot. No one bests Gorilla Grodd-especially not those of an inferior intellect! He would make that buffoon suffer. All he needed was a little more time to get the materials he needed, which was no bother to him. All good things to those who wait. Then he could put his plan into action. He would destroy the Flash. Slowly, painfully with the whole world watching, until he begged for death. Grodd chuckled darkly to himself.

"You better watch yourself, Flash."


	6. Rainy Days

**A/N: So sorry about the late update. Geez over a month?! I'm a terrible person. I was lazy and started watching _The Walking Dead_ , which terrifies me. Plus I didn't know where to go from chapter five. I knew what I wanted to happen, but I drew a blank on the stuff in between. Don't worry I got a plan. This chapter is short and it was half of what I wanted to post, but I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. It's late and I'm exhausted so I hope it doesn't suck. Last thing, updates are going to be farther apart because of school. But I will update. I hate it when I'm reading a story and the person hasn't updated in like five years or they said they're going on hiatus and never update ever. I refuse to become that person if I can. So enjoy this short filler chapter while I try to scramble and finish my summer reading!**

* * *

 **Central City July 9** **th** **, 7:07 AM:**

Morning runs were a luxury saved only for the weekends, allowing Wally to run without the looming time constraints of work and actual responsibilities. They relaxed him and put him in a good mood throughout the day. An added bonus to the already promising Saturday was the thunderstorms.

Wally loved the rain. He loved the rumble of thunder and the onslaught of raindrops that followed. Rain was refreshing-a sign of change. It washed off all the bad stuff from before, cleaning away the impurities of before and replenishing the earth. Running during a rainstorm was the best-the raindrops cooling his skin, warm from sweat and exertion, the streets practically empty, allowing him a bit of solitude. It was relaxing to be able to drop his guard-to allow that ever-present smile to fade into something more genuine. There were still cars of course, but Wally ran too fast for them to make out his facial expression. Rain was like a reset button-a new beginning-at least to Wally. The only downside was the muddy puddles. Many a times Wally slipped and fell because of those deceptive pits of death.

The burn of his calves felt good-familiar. It was the one constant in his life so far-the one thing he could control. He plowed on, his movements no longer restricted since all his wounds we healed-finally-with no signs of infection. He still had a huge scar on his back, but that should be gone by the end of the week.

He passed the grocery store and his stomach grumbled. Oh yeah, he needed to buy more food. He was living solely on TV dinners and frozen waffles currently, which was not only unhealthy but unsatisfying. He missed the endless food they had on the Watchtower. He would go to the Watchtower to eat to lessen his shopping trips. It was both cheaper and less embarrassing. Now Wally would have to pay for his food. Yikes. There goes that new AmScope Phase Contrast Inverted Fluorescence microscope with 1500X magnification he was saving up for.

With a sigh Wally zipped back to his apartment in Chubbuck, changing into his civvies and grabbing his wallet before zipping back out to the bus station. Enduring the agonizingly slow ride towards New Brighton, Wally stood in front of the daunting Dillions Food Stores. He gulped loudly, slowly pushing his cart past the automatic doors into the terrifying grocery store. Upon entry he was bombarded with the traffic of other carts, irritated moms, and the bright artificial lighting. He failed to hide his utter terror seeing how soccer mom number three in the purple blouse and the twin stoller shot an amused smile in his direction. ' _Okay Wall-man, stay traught. Think of a plan. What do you need?'_

With diminishing confidence, Wally meekly pushed his cart towards the fresh produce, hoping to snag a container thing of strawberries before the piranha-moms picked them clean. Hmm…$3.50 a container. Was that good or bad? A panicked look eclipsed his face. What was considered a deal? How was he supposed to know this stuff? He looked around hoping to find an employee or someone who could help. He felt a tap on his shoulder, making his spin around and almost drop the strawberries he was holding. A woman in a red and white striped blouse and jeans stood behind him, chuckling behind her hand. She kinda looked like Wenda-you know, the girl version of Waldo. She even had the same glasses. She smiled kindly and steadied his hands, shaking her head at his antics.

"Need a hand? You look like a fish outta water," she smiled encouragingly at him. Wally exhaled loudly in relief.

"YES! Please! I have no idea what I'm doing." He indicated to the strawberries and other produce. "Is $3.50 for one a good deal? And what does it mean by 'save $2.50'? Oh, I'm Wally by the way."

"Nice to meet you Wally. I'm Rachel," she smiled, firmly shaking his hand. She picked up the container of strawberries he was holding. "These are $3.50 for 1 quart of strawberries, which is two pounds. Last week, these same berries were $4.99 a quart, so this is a very good deal." She pushed the strawberries back into his hands with a smile, Wally slowly nodding in understanding.

She must've sensed some residual hesitance, because she gently put a hand on his shoulders and smiled up at him. "Look, I have a few hours to kill until my husband gets home. Why don't you tell me what else you need to buy and I'll help you out, okay?"

Wally sighed in relief. "Yes! Thank you thank you thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me!" Rachel chuckled, pushing her own chart next to his.

"Alright Wally, what do you need to get?"

* * *

"Your total is $286.37." The cashier glanced at Wally with a slightly awed expression. He bought enough food to fill 43 shopping bags. Now he wouldn't have to go shopping for at least another week, _and_ he knew how to shop efficiently. Surprisingly during his shopping trip, Rachel didn't question the large amounts of food he bought. She didn't even stare. She acted like it was totally normal for a single man to buy 7 jars of peanut butter. She even helped him carry the grocery bags out to his car….which he now realized he did not possess. Crap. He took the bus. Umm…

His inner panic was interrupted by Rachel's laughter. She shook her head. "Sorry. It's just, you keep making this panicked face when you don't know what to do. I can give you and your groceries a ride. You took the bus right?" Damn. This woman was an angel. Wally nodded.

"I can't thank you enough. Really." Wally was beyond grateful for the kindness of this stranger. This was why he loved Central City. Seriously, if he was in Gotham, he would have been mugged, thrown into a windowless van, and/or shot.

Five minutes later, Rachel pulled up in front of his apartment complex. She even offered to help him carry his bags, to which he declined. She had helped him more than enough. The least he could do was carry his numerous shopping bags up four flights of stairs-the elevator occupied and Wally was impatient. Despite the fact that it was only noon, after shopping for three hours and putting away all of the groceries, Wally was exhausted. How did Aunt Iris do this every week?

Wally flopped onto the couch and turned on the tv, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table. He channel surfed for a bit before leaving it on a random show-what was this the fishing channel?-and closing his eyes for a bit...only for them to shoot back open sixteen seconds later. The tv was flickering orange and making a bunch of annoying beeps and whirs. The Emergency Broadcast System. Ugh. This happened every month or so for a test run. They were so loud and obnoxious. However instead of the usual "This is a drill", the bold letters ' **Tornado Warning** ' flashed on the screen followed by a robotic male voice detailing the report. Wally groaned. This was what he got for living right next to freakin' Kansas. God Wally hoped his apartment didn't blow away Wizard-of-Oz style.

Wally quickly changed into his costume and ran out the door to help people take shelter and whatnot. The winds were picking up so he had to hurry. Sprinting down the streets, Wally ushered everyone into secure buildings along the streets. Lightning flashed and the rain-previously just a light shower-turned into a torrential downpour. He quickly circled the city, searching for any stragglers who were still outside. No one. Good. Thank the good lord that the people of Central City were smart and used to these sort of things.

He turned to go back to his apartment when a bolt of lightning struck the car two feet away from him, the resulting explosion knocking Wally off his feet. He picked himself off the wet pavement, noting the road rash he most definitely just acquired on his hands and knees. Yep the rainwater was not helping the sting. A dark laugh echoed off the empty streets. Wally froze. What the…?

"Well, well, well. Lookie here. A Flasher all alone in the middle of a storm. My lucky day." A green and yellow suited man in a dark trench coat floated down from the angry cumulonimbus sky. In his hands, a wand-like device crackling with electricity was pointed at Wally.

"Weather Wizard." Of course there could never be any natural weather patterns in Central. Of course it had to be Weather Wizard-aka Mark Mardon. Wally was tired and soaking wet. He was not in the mood for this. Well to be honest, he never really was in the mood for it. He was not a fan of injuries, which he got a lot of, seeing how he got tossed around at high speeds an awful lot.

Mardon smirked, extending his wand-hand(?) towards Wally, a bolt of lightning following the motion. Wally steeled his shoulders and pushed his toes off the ground, just barely dodging the bolt and shooting forwards towards Mardon. He threw the first punch, nailing Mardon in the jaw, and circled around to slow his momentum. While Wally loved thunderstorms, fighting in the rain proved to be a real problem in the past. Sure he could run at a normal pace-well normal pace for a speedster, no big deal-, however when fighting, Wally made lots of sharp turns and changed directions frequently to disorient and distract his opponents. Sharp turns and quick changes of direction in the rain was difficult with the reduced amount of friction on the ground because of the water. He could easily slip and fall, which would be equally embarrassing and painful. Mardon recognized the dangers of running in torrential rain and used it to his advantage. Plus he could shoot lightning bolts. It sucked.

The punch knocked Mardon back, however, he controlled the wind to catch himself from falling and flew back up into the air, quickly firing multiple lightning bolts in response. Wally dodged them easily, but forgot that he was standing in water-Mardon's storm causing the water level of the entire street to rise to ankle level. The electricity of the lightning conducted off the impurities-salts, particulates, dust, etc.-in the water and traveled across the rainwater to the scarlet speedster, transferring its electrical energy to Wally in the form of painful shocks.

"Ahhh!" Wally screamed, as he fell to the ground in pain, his muscles contracting under the stress of the electricity. His costume was equally soaking wet and smoking as he pushed himself off the ground, water seeping through the spandex of his suit. Damn it! Could he go one day without getting injured/in need of a new costume?! Everything hurt as he looked at up Mardon, looking as smug as ever. Wally was going to beat that stupid smirk off of his stupid face!

Mardon boredly waved his weather wand in Wally's direction, creating three mini tornadoes, which turned into waterspouts since they sucked up the water that blanketed the entire street. Oh what fun. Sprinting on the surface of the water, Wally avoided the waterspouts, picking up and throwing a large chunk of concrete that fragmented off the sidewalk from one of Mardon's lightning bolts. The rubble hit Mardon in his wand hand-Mardon being unprepared to dodge incoming projectiles and probably unable see them if he was seeing how dark the skies were from the storm-knocking the wand from his hand and onto the ground. Wally quickly sped over and snatched the device while Mardon fell a good twenty feet onto the ground since the wand channeled his powers. Without the device, Mardon could not control the weather patterns he created, nor keep himself in the air using the wind. The waterspouts dissipated and the storm began to subside.

Mardon landed on his side, most likely breaking a few bones and obtaining a plethora of bruises, but was otherwise fine. Wally on the other hand felt terrible. He was soaked to the bone and had small electrical burns all over his body. His normally vibrant red costume was waterlogged, deepening to a maroonish color. His face was noticeably paler than usual, and despite the fact that he was shivering cold, his hands felt warm. Plus he had a killer headache.

The people of Central City slowly started to file out of the buildings now that the sun was visible and the rain stopped, the streets glistening from the rain now being filled with concerned citizens. Many of them just went on with their day like nothing happened, throwing out the occasional "Great job, Flash". A few stragglers came a bit closer to get a good look at the defeated villain or to greet their city's hero, though once the police arrived, most left, save for the five or so reporters.

"Alright boys, let's wrap this up! Quicker we get Mardon detained, the quicker we can haul his ass back to Iron Heights!" Detective Fred Chyre called out. Chyre was one of Keystone City Police Department's lead detectives with Detective Jared Morillo as his partner. Since both cities are frequently attacked by the same villains and said attacks often spanned across both cities, jurisdiction between Keystone and Central overlapped. The storms caused by Mardon must have spread into Keystone, prompting KCPD and CCPD to coordinate their efforts.

"Need any help, Detective?" Wally always felt bad about the collateral damage his fights with his enemies caused. The damaged put a heavy financial burden on the tax-paying citizens of both twin cities. Wally made it his mission to help lift that burden and help in any other way he could-either as Flash or Wally West.

As usual, his offer was met with a raised eyebrow and amused huff. "You've done your job Flash. Let us do ours." Before he could retort, Chyre's cell beeped. With a nod Chyre answered his phone, walking away for a bit of privacy. Wally helped the other officers load the villain into the prison transport and stayed until the vehicle sped away like he always did. While he was about to speed away, Morillo and Chyre stopped him, both with serious expressions on their faces.

"Mercury Labs reported missing equipment during the storm. Footage from their security cameras and statements from witnesses point to Gorilla Grodd as the perpetrator," Chyre growled, his infamous temper getting the best of him. Wally knit his eyebrows together. Grodd was bad news. He was planning something. Something big.

"Any idea what he stole?" Wally's voice lost its usual humor, sounding more serious and focused than his normal cheerful, upbeat tones. He stood a bit taller and squared his shoulders. Dick used to make fun of him when he did this when he was Kid Flash. He called it the 'serious Wally mode'.

"Some sort of super magnifying lens and a nanotech prototype. Mercury Labs wasn't very forthcoming on what exactly the devices could do." Morillo chimed in. Hmm..Grodd also stole a laser chip, red sun blaster gun things, and a very powerful prototypal battery. What was he planning?

"Alright, I'll look into it," Wally nodded at both officers, once again preparing to leave. Except that wasn't everything.

"Hold on a sec. One more thing." Morillo glanced at Chyre. Both detectives shared an uneasy look before turning back to the speedster.

"League's been called in. I don't know what went on between you and the rest of 'em-none of my business-but just wanted you to know they're on the case. The Gem Cities are under your protection-like Gotham is under Batman's-, but since Grodd is technically a League enemy, they are getting involved." Chyre looked Wally in the eye, silently asking if he was up to it-if he could put whatever happened aside in favor of putting Grodd behind bars. Wally nodded solemnly, turning on heel and speeding away. Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse.

Morillo sighed, "I hate it when he does that."

Chyre shook his head. "Shut it Morillo." With that Chyre left and walked to the car.


	7. Apparently the Bat has a Heart

**A/N: Hey guys, uh sorry for not updating? I'm sorry! I have school. Anywho Chapter 7 is here! Yay! Sorry it's short. I liked how this chapter ended and I didn't want to make it drag on too long. Plus it's freaking 1:08 AM. Why am I conscious? First things first, I can't believe how many people who have followed and favorited this story. Seriously, it's shocking. You guys are great! Also, just because I keep forgetting, pretty much all of the characters I mention are from the DC universe. I have literally researched obscure people and places just for the sake of this story. Same with the things that Grodd steals. They are all real things that have been invented-well except for the nanochip, which the technology for is in research and development. I researched this shit. Dedication! Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Central City July 9th, 1:13 PM:**

Wally quickly sped over to Mercury Labs to check the extent of the damage. After chatting with the local authorities over the minor property damage, he investigated the scene of the crime. The entry bay doors were ripped open, chunks of steel door scattered on the floor. Past the doors, there was a path a destruction leading to four display cases, two of which were broken open and empty. If not for the surveillance cameras, the gorilla hair would prove this was Grodd's doing.

Wally dallied around the crime scene for almost an hour, chatting to each of employee and officer and gathering any evidence he could find. He made sure to go over the entire scenario several times, retaining every miniscule detail. Bats would be jealous. Ugh Bats. He was going to be here with the League. Wally scowled to no one in particular as he left the building. The League had decided that Grodd was their problem. As if! Grodd was in Central- _his_ city. They didn't think he was capable enough to protect his city! He was more than capable! As much as Wally tried to see their reasoning for their involvement, he couldn't justify it. When they had first formed the League, they all agreed to keep out of each other's respective cities unless there was a world-threatening crisis. Yeah Grodd had previously tried to take over the world, but there was no evidence he was staying in Central City. Grodd was the type to have elaborate plans full of deceptions and fronts. His presence in Central could be a trick to distract the League from his real dastardly plans.

He was preparing to superspeed out back to his apartment when he say a familiar swishing cape out of the corner of his eye. Said cape saw him and glared, jerking his head towards Jitters Cafe. Well looks like he was having coffee. Wally sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly before straightening as he ran to the top of Jitters. As expected, the big bad bat was already there, his arms crossed expectantly. They stood in silence as Batman scrutinized Wally for a good six and a half minutes, during which Wally uncomfortably shifted from one foot to the other. Then suddenly the silence was broken as Bats dropped his arms and briefed him on the case so far. Weird.

"This is Grodd's second sighting since his defeat. Like in Metropolis, Grodd was actively involved in the heist, meaning that he is acting on his own vendetta. So far he has stolen a Quantum cascade terahertz laser chip, a Xenon difluoride diamond anvil battery cell prototype, red sun cannons, a 5200mm f14 SLR DSLR Telephoto Lens Canon, and a high density 7-nanometer computer chip. We can safely assume that Grodd is looking to build some sort of device of unknown capabilities.

"Everything Grodd has stolen revolve around energy efficiency and storage. Both chips, while suited for different purposes, are capable of processing information quicker than any other existing computer chips available. The lens, though suited for astronomical purposes, could be used as an amplifier. Energy directed through would intensify, its waves expanding in length while lowering in frequency. This could enlarge the range of the assumed device Grodd is building. The battery would serve as a power source, being both extremely powerful and non-nuclear would make it a stable and reliable source of energy. We can only assume Grodd will strike again before his device is complete, seeing how none of these prototypes have the potential to do anything destructive as is."

Batman glared at some point behind Wally in thought. He never liked not knowing all of the pieces. He had probably stayed up countless nights trying to figure out Grodd's master plan, especially if he was willing to work with Wally.

"Well he definitely has some friends in high places. I mean, he had at least six heavy-hitters backing him during the attack on S.T.A.R Labs. I bet he paid Weather Wizard to create that storm. It provided perfect cover for him to pop into Mercury Labs and kept the authorities nad me distracted. Wow this is-this is pretty big, isn't it Bats?" Wally was a bit shocked as the realization dawned on him. If that many villains were backing-and willing to take the fall for-Grodd, then this was waaaaay bigger than Wally originally thought. No villain-sane or otherwise-would risk their own neck without some sort of incentive or benefit. Whatever Grodd was up to had to in some way profit seven other unrelated villains. Possibly more.

Batman looked up from his brooding, his glare softening, and grimly nodded. Wally deflated a bit. This was big. He was going to have to put any petty feelings aside for the sake of the mission. Wow that sounded a lot like Batman. Wally shook his head and looked Batman straight in the eye,

"Look, I may not be a member of the League anymore, but I'm still the Flash and this is still my city. Right now, Grodd poses a threat to my city and it is in Central City's best interest to have all hands on deck. So what do you need me to do?"

Batman nodded, unfazed by the juxtaposition of Flash using a serious tone, and immediately listing off the exact coordinates of Grodd's last recorded whereabouts. With a nod, Wally was off, searching the entire city-and a few neighboring ones-for a homicidal psychic gorilla with an appetite for evil.

* * *

After five hours of running around the Midwest with no sign of Grodd, Wally was dead tired. His feet were _numb_ , which probably should be cause for concern, but he was too exhausted to care. He was tired, he was hungry, and he was...he was lost. What is this Kentucky? Jeez this is what he gets for not eating breakfast. Seriously he must have been following his stomach because he was in the middle of freaking nowhere in front of a McDonald's.

Checking his pockets, Wally cheered when he discovered a twenty. Wally was the wizard of the dollar menu. He knew how to stretch a dollar, and now he had twenty. He would dine like a king….a king that ate greasy, heart disease-causing junk food. Five McChickens, four Double Cheeseburgers, three small fries, and a medium coke later, Wally was full-well not _full_ , he was never full, but the normal amount of hungry. And now that the pains of hungry weren't driving him insane, he could clearly see the sign that indicated his location. He was in Nebraska. Wow he was off. Wait, this was...this was Blue Valley. Jeez how hungry was he? This was his home town. Wow. Wally made a mental note to always keep at least six protein bars and $50 bucks on his person at all times.

Blue Valley, huh. This place seemed like a lifetime ago. Blue Valley was before Uncle Barry, before Kid Flash. Being here was so surreal. Wally had let Blue Valley long ago and never looked back. It was so different now. Ms. Jackson's house was up for sale, the old diner was gone, a Dollar General replaced that old empty lot across from Jeepers Play Place. He had changed a lot. He was the Flash now. Back then he never would've thought he could _be_ the Flash-his hero. Back then he as just a small kid who couldn't do anything right-who had his head so high up in the clouds, he couldn't tell you where the sky ended and space began. Wally took a step back and took a deep breath, exhaling all of the unwanted memories. He turned around and headed back to Central City. His _home_.

* * *

"Anything?" Batman didn't look up from his Bat-noculars, already knowing the answer.

"No. No trace of him. He's gone."

Batman grunted, typing furiously on the computer on his gauntlet. "So what? We just wait until Grodd strikes again? That didn't quite work." Wally crossed his arms in frustration. Grodd was literally gone.

"Now we call the rest of the League. The more manpower we have, the more ground we can cover and the quicker we can find Grodd."

Wally made a face. "Ugh. Do we have to?" Wally whined. As much as he wanted to bring in Grodd, he did not want to deal with the rest of the League. Bats was a different story. He separated his personal feelings from his superhero persona. He and Wally did good work today, each offer different scenarios and perspectives on Grodd's motives while maintaining professionalism.

Bats raised an eyebrow, which translated to a slightly amused are you serious in bat. Wally huffed, waving a hand in Batman's direction.

"You know what I mean. Supes'll be trying to convert me the whole time. They'll all be more concerned about me than the mission, well except maybe John and Princess. They'll be distracted." Wally purposely avoided Batman's gaze. Yes he was aware of the fact that he sounded 100% hypocritical right now. It was different though, because when push came to shove, Wally was there and focused. He only tried to make the others less stressed out. His head was always in the game. He only gave off the illusion of the opposite.

Bats made a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, causing wally's head to snap up. Wild green met hard steel. Batman stared at him for a good minute, neither hero moving a muscle, which was a miracle for Wally. Wally made to turn away when Bats spoke.

"You have nothing to prove."

Uhhh…...what? "What?" Wally's eyebrows scrunched together, radiating confusion with the barest hint of hope.

"You have nothing to prove. Not to the League, not to Superman, not to me. You are your own hero. You have proved that on your own. Don't let anyone tell you differently." With that and a swish of his cape, Batman was gone, leaving behind a shell-shocked Flash. Did that just happen? Numbly, Flash ran towards his apartment, somehow making it into his room without looking. Huh. Of all places to find words of encouragement, he never expected Batman. Wow. This was unreal. Dick was never going to believe this. He made himself dinner without thinking, blankly staring at the kitchen wall as he ate whatever he made for dinner-he honestly didn't know what it was, he was too busy trying to collect the pieces of his mind that had previously exploded. Damn. Suddenly he shook his head and smiled, a laugh bubbling out of his mouth. The big bad bat had a heart. Who'da thunk it?


End file.
